User Detachable Cover

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is disclosed with a cover and the body part. The cover has two cover side walls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion of the apparatus. Snap-on attachment receptacles are on inner surfaces of the cover side walls configured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushing the cover onto the body part. The body part has a body with an external surface having two sides and snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured to engage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached by a user to cover the body part.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present document generally relates to a user detachable cover. Inparticular, though not exclusively, the present document relates to auser detachable cover of a portable battery operated device.

BACKGROUND

Battery operated devices typically have user releasable battery coversto enable changing the battery by the user to a new one. In mobiletelephones, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is also sometimesplaced behind the battery so that for accessing the SIM card, thebattery has to be removed. Modern mobile telephones are alsoincreasingly capable of running various applications and approachingmobile computers by their capabilities. To enable user detaching (and inconsequence, also re-attaching) a cover, the cover is typically attachedwith suitably designed protruding slugs on an inner surface of the coverwhich engage with holes or grooves of a body of the device in which thecover is attached. There is no standard mechanism and thus a userwilling to release the cover is often uncertain of how exactly the covershould be released without breaking the cover or its attaching parts. Itis also known that few users read the user guide first on facing aproblem with a device and thus it is relatively common that the slugs orother attaching parts of the releasable covers may become broken.

SUMMARY

Various aspects of examples of the invention are set out in the claims.

According to a first example aspect of the present invention there isprovided a cover comprising:

two side walls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover aportion of an apparatus; and

snap-on attachment receptacles on inner surfaces of the side wallsconfigured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part bypushing the cover onto the body part.

The cover may comprise a face wall and the side walls may be atdifferent edges of the face wall.

The side walls may be at opposite edges of the face wall.

The side walls may form all walls of the cover. The side walls may beperpendicularly connected.

The cover may comprise four side walls.

The snap-on attachment receptacles may comprise grooves, holes and/orconcave forms on the inner surfaces of the side walls. The side wallsmay have rounded cross-section at the snap-on attachment receptaclessuch that the internal surface of the side walls inherently forms thesnap-on attachment receptacles.

According to a second example aspect of the present invention there isprovided a body part comprising:

a body with an external surface having two sides; and

snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured toengage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached tocover the body part.

The snap-on attachment protrusion members may be resiliently biased topress against the snap-on attachment receptacles when the cover isattached to the body part. The resilient bias may be formed with aresilient biasing member. The snap-on attachment protrusion members onone side wall may be fixed. The resiliently biased snap-on attachmentprotrusion members may be configured to cause tension in the coveragainst the fixed snap-on attachment protrusion members.

The snap-on attachment protrusion members may be configured to contactthe cover by rotatable balls or cylinders. The balls or cylinders may beconfigured to rotate when the cover is attached to the body part.

The snap-on attachment protrusion members may be configured to form,when engaged against the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles, aforce that pulls the cover against the body so as to remove play betweenthe body and the cover.

According to a third example aspect of the present invention there isprovided an apparatus comprising the cover and the body part.

According to a fourth example aspect of the present invention there isprovided a cover comprising:

two side wall means with inner and outer surfaces for covering a portionof an apparatus; and

snap-on attachment receptacle means on inner surfaces of the side wallmeans for enabling a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushingthe cover onto the body part.

According to a fifth example aspect of the present invention there isprovided a body part comprising:

a body means with an external surface having two sides; and

snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides for engaging withsnap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached by a user tocover the body part.

Different non-binding example aspects and embodiments of the presentinvention have been illustrated in the foregoing. The foregoingembodiments are used merely to explain selected aspects or steps thatmay be utilized in implementations of the present invention. Someembodiments may be presented only with reference to certain exampleaspects of the invention. It should be appreciated that correspondingembodiments may apply to other example aspects as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of example embodiments of the presentinvention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows from one direction a cover according to an exampleembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the cover of FIG. 1 seen from another direction;

FIG. 3 shows the cover of FIGS. 1 and 2 partly placed onto a body partof a portable device according to an example embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section of a cover and body part accordingto one example embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross section of a resiliently biased snap-onattachment protrusion member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS

An example embodiment of the present invention and its potentialadvantages are understood by referring to FIGS. 1 through 5 of thedrawings.

FIG. 1 shows from one direction a cover 110 according to an exampleembodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 shows the cover 110 from anotherdirection. FIG. 2 also shows recesses 112 located on an inner surface ofa side wall for acting as snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles thatreceive snap-on attachment protrusion members of a body part when thecover 110 is snapped onto a body part.

FIG. 3 shows the cover 110 partly placed onto a body part 120 of aportable device according to an example embodiment of the invention. Theportable device is e.g. a mobile phone, personal digital assistant,hand-held game console, navigation device and/or music player. The coverand the body part together form a system 100. The system 100 as a wholemay also be understood as a portable electronic device.

In FIG. 3, one end of the cover 110 is pushed practically all the wayonto the body part 120 while an opposite end is still about half-waythrough to a fully attached position. Three ball bearings 122 protrudeand are visible in FIG. 3 on two side walls of the body part 120. Theseball bearings are configured to operate as the snap-on attachmentprotrusion members mentioned in connection with FIG. 1. Further snap-onattachment protrusion members are provided on peripheral side walls ofthe body part 120. Generally, one or more side walls of the body partcan be provided each with one or more snap-on attachment protrusionmembers. Different number of snap-on attachment protrusion members canalso be provided on different side walls. In the example embodimentillustrated by FIG. 3, all four peripheral side walls of the body part120 have one or more snap-on attachment protrusion members. Thus, a usercan attach the cover 110 onto the body part 120 by pressing the cover110 first onto the body part close to any user selected side wall firstand by then pressing the cover 110 from another part of the cover 110.The user can also attach the cover 110 by pressing the cover 110 inparallel with the body part 120 onto the body part when the cover 110 issolely attached to the body part with snap-on attachment protrusionmembers.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section of a cover 110 and body part 120according to one example embodiment of the invention. The body part 120comprises snap-on attachment protrusion members 410 on its side walls.On one side wall, the cover 110 is configured to form a snap-onattachment protrusion receptacle by a concave form 114 on the inner sideof the cover 110. Such concave form can be conveniently produced byforming a round side wall to the cover 110. On an opposing side wall(right hand side in FIG. 4) the side wall of the cover 110 forms arecess 112 configured to act as a snap-on attachment protrusionreceptacle. In FIG. 3, the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles areformed according to one example embodiment such that when the cover 110is in attached to the body part 120, the snap-on attachment protrusionmembers 410 and the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles form aforce that pulls the cover against the body for removing play betweenthe body part 120 and the cover 110. By removing or reducing playbetween the body part 120 and the cover 110 the feel of an apparatus canbe greatly improved. Moreover, noise caused by mutual movement of thecover 110 and the body part 120 may be avoided or reduced.

In sake of simplicity, FIG. 4 shows similar snap-on attachmentprotrusion members 410 on two side walls of the body part 120. It shouldbe appreciated that in some example embodiments, one or more side wallsof the body part are not provided with snap-on attachment protrusionmembers.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross section of a ball bearing configured toact as a resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion member 410according to an example embodiment. The snap-on attachment protrusionmember 410 comprises a housing 124 containing a resilient biasingelement 126 such as a helical spring or piece of elasticallycompressible material and a contacting member 122 such as a ball orcylinder that is allowed to move to a given extent to protrude fromhousing 124. The housing 124 can be integrally formed of the side wallof the body part 120.

In FIG. 5, the housing 124 forms one or more abutting members 126 thatprevent or inhibit the contacting member 122 from escaping the housing124. In another example embodiment, the contacting member 122 isattached to the housing 124 e.g. via the resilient member 126 to avoidthe escaping of the contacting member 122.

In one example embodiment, the snap-on attachment protrusion member isformed of a form protruding from the side wall of the body part so thatthe form both induces a resilient biasing element 126 and the contactingmember with a common part. The protruding form is made in one exampleembodiment of a metallic material such as steel or copper. Such ametallic protruding form can also be used to make electric connectionsfor one or more electric circuitries in the cover 110. Alternatively,the protruding form can be made e.g. of plastics.

In one example embodiment, the recesses 112 are through holes extendingall the way through the side wall in question. In this exampleembodiment, the holes and/or the protrusion members 410 can be arrangedto open by pulling the cover 110 apart from the body part 120. One ormore of the holes and respective protrusion members 410 are configuredin one example embodiment so that the user needs to press the protrusionmember 410 through the hold in order to release the cover 110.

Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application ofthe claims appearing below, a technical effect of one or more of theexample embodiments disclosed herein is that it may be possible toproduced snap-on attachment that is long lasting and consistent. Also areassuring sound response of the attachment may result.

Another technical effect of one or more of the example embodimentsdisclosed herein is that the cover may be easy to open. Anothertechnical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosedherein is that the snap operation can be controlled relatively easilyand accurately by mechanical detail design of the snap-on attachment.Another technical effect of one or more of the example embodimentsdisclosed herein is that when the cover is configured to be snap-onattachable and releasable by a user, the cover is very easy andintuitive to attach and detach. By locating the protrusion members inthe body part, it may be possible to produce simpler and moreinexpensive user replaceable covers.

If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed ina different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, ifdesired, one or more of the afore-described functions may be optional ormay be combined.

Although various aspects of the invention are set out in the independentclaims, other aspects of the invention comprise other combinations offeatures from the described embodiments and/or the dependent claims withthe features of the independent claims, and not solely the combinationsexplicitly set out in the claims.

It is also noted herein that while the foregoing describes exampleembodiments of the invention, these descriptions should not be viewed ina limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modificationswhich may be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cover, comprising: two side walls with innerand outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion of an apparatus; andsnap-on attachment receptacles on inner surfaces of the side wallsconfigured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part bypushing the cover onto the body part.
 2. The cover of claim 1, furthercomprising a face wall and the side walls may be at different edges ofthe face wall.
 3. The cover of claim 1, wherein the side walls reside atopposite edges of the face wall.
 4. The cover of claim 1, wherein theside walls form all walls of the cover.
 5. The cover of claim 1, whereinthe side walls are perpendicularly connected.
 6. The cover of claim 1,wherein the cover comprises four side walls.
 7. The cover of claim 1,wherein the snap-on attachment receptacles comprise grooves, holesand/or concave forms on the inner surfaces of the side walls.
 8. Thecover of claim 1, wherein the side walls have rounded cross-section atthe snap-on attachment receptacles such that the internal surface of theside walls inherently forms the snap-on attachment receptacles.
 9. Anbody part comprising: a body with an external surface having two sides;and snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured toengage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached tocover the body part.
 10. The body part of claim 9, wherein the snap-onattachment protrusion members are resiliently biased to press againstthe snap-on attachment receptacles when the cover is attached to thebody part.
 11. The body part of claim 9, wherein the snap-on attachmentprotrusion members on one side wall are fixed.
 12. The body part ofclaim 10, wherein the resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusionmembers are configured to cause tension in the cover against the fixedsnap-on attachment protrusion members.
 13. The body part of claim 9,wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured tocontact the cover by rotatable balls or cylinders.
 14. The body part ofclaim 13, wherein the balls or cylinders are configured to rotate whenthe cover is attached to the body part.
 15. The body part of claim 9,wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured toform, when engaged against the snap-on attachment protrusionreceptacles, a force that pulls the cover against the body so as toremove play between the body and the cover.
 16. An apparatus comprisinga cover and the body part, wherein the cover comprises: two cover sidewalls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion ofthe apparatus; and snap-on attachment receptacles on inner surfaces ofthe cover side walls configured to enable a user to attach the cover toa body part by pushing the cover onto the body part; and the body partcomprises: a body with an external surface having two sides; and snap-onattachment protrusion members on the two sides configured to engage withsnap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached by a user tocover the body part.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the snap-onattachment receptacles comprise grooves, holes and/or concave forms onthe inner surfaces of the cover side walls.
 18. The apparatus of claim16, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are resilientlybiased to press against the snap-on attachment receptacles when thecover is attached to the body part.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein the resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion members areconfigured to cause tension in the cover against the fixed snap-onattachment protrusion members.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16, whereinthe snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured to contact thecover by rotatable balls or cylinders.